Remembering Our Dead: January 2018
Every year on or around 20th November people worldwide gather for the Transgender day of Remembrance to to remember the trans people we have lost to murder and violence in the past year, as reported by the Trans Murder Monitoring Project and published by Transgender Europe (TGEU).
The following are details of the trans people known to have been killed worldwide during January 2018.
I’ve also included details of those known lost to suicide where known, though most suicides tend to be unreported.
[TRIGGER WARNING: VIOLENCE. MURDER]
Fany Diniz
Age 30
3 Jan 2018
Belém, Pará (Brazil)
Shot
Fany was shot dead by two men on a motorcycle at around 9 pm on Riachuelo Street in the Campina neighborhood of Belém. 3 days earlier another trans woman, Silvia Gomes Marques, had been killed at the same spot. Her murder was also attributed to two murderers on a motorcycle.
https://homofobiamata.wordpress.com/2018/01/03/fany-diniz-trab-sexo-tiros-pa-belem/
http://www.thompsonmota.com.br/2018/01/travesti-e-morta-tiros-por.html
http://www.portalparanews.com.br/noticia/pa/belem/policia/travesti-e-assassinada-no-centro-de-belem
https://www.diarioonline.com.br/noticias/policia/noticia-476925-.html
Name Unknown
4 Jan 2018
Brasília, Federal District (Brazil)
Stabbed
The victim was one of two people tied up and stabbed by two men who broke into her apartment. The other person survived and was transferred to hospital but the victim died at the scene.
https://homofobiamata.wordpress.com/2018/01/04/nao-identificada-facadas-df-brasilia/
http://www.jornaldebrasilia.com.br/cidades/travesti-e-encontrado-morto-na-708-norte/
Christa Leigh Steele-Knudslien
Age 42
5 Jan 2018
North Adams, Massachusetts (USA)
Beaten and stabbed
Christa was found dead at her home by police on the evening of 5th January. Her husband has confessed to striking her with a hammer and stabbing her with a knife, reportedly saying that he had “snapped” and done “something very bad” when interviewed by the police.
Christa was well known in the local trans community and produced the Miss Trans New England pageant.
https://transgriot.blogspot.co.uk/2018/01/number-1-rest-in-power-christa.html
https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2018/01/founder-miss-trans-america-pageant-murdered/
C. Sobral
Age 19
5 Jan 2018
Feira de Santana, Bahia (Brazil)
Shot
C. was shot. No other information is known.
Informações de Whatsapp — Grupo Afiliadas Antra — Renata Taylor
I. Y.
Age 26
6 Jan 2018
Gökçebey, Zonguldak (Turkey)
Shot
I. Y. was shot by an unidentified assailant on the night of 5th December. She was taken to hospital but died in the intensive care unit a month later.
According to witnesses she worked in a casino and her killer argued with her before he shot her.
http://www.pembehayat.org/haberler.php?id=1629
https://www.evrensel.net/haber/342616/yarali-halde-hastane-bahcesine-birakilan-trans-kadin-oldu
https://www.cnnturk.com/turkiye/gazinoda-calisan-trans-bireyi-vurup-hastane-bahcesine-attilar
http://www.halkinsesi.com.tr/asayis/o-travesti-hayatini-kaybetti-h38993.html
Kagiso Ishmael Maema (“Ousi Kagiso”)
Age 25
6 Jan 2018
Seraleng (South Africa)
Strangled
Ousi Kagiso’s body was found dumped half naked in a stream on 6th January. She was partially covered with plastic and had wounds on her head and arm, which appeared to have been caused by an axe. It is also suspected that she was strangled.
The previous evening she had been seen in a bar in the company of a man.
http://www.mambaonline.com/2018/01/09/report-transgender-woman-murdered-rustenburg
V. Peixoto
Age 30
9 Jan 2018
Piripiri (Brazil)
Beaten
V. was beaten to death. Although the original news reports described her as a man, a local support organisation confirmed that she was trans and that they had worked with her in the past.
https://homofobiamata.wordpress.com/2018/01/09/valteres-peixoto-30-anos-pauladas-pi-piripiri/
https://www.45graus.com.br/piripiri/homem-e-encontrado-morto-com-sinais-de-espancamento-em-piripiri
Viccky Gutierrez
Age 33
10 Jan 2018
Los Angeles, California (USA)
Stabbed
Viccky’s body was found burned in her apartment in the early hours of 10th January. Reports suggest that there was a smell of gasoline inside the property, and was speculated that she was killed before the fire was started.
On 17th January Kevyn Ramírez, 29, was arrested on charges of murder, arson and attempted theft. According to investigators, the suspect met the victim online. Then, on 10th January, he stabbed her to death, before setting fire to her home. According to the prosecution, the suspect admitted stabbing her.
http://www.losangelesblade.com/2018/01/12/suspect-arrested-murder-trans-viccky-gutierrez/
https://mic.com/articles/187376/trans-woman-viccky-gutierrez-reportedly-found-dead-in-los-angeles
http://www.transnetworking.com/second-transgender-murder-of-2018-los-angeles-ca/
Lourdes Reinoso
Age 30
14 Jan 2018
Rio Nio, Tucuman (Argentina)
Stabbed
Lourdes Reinoso and her 80 year old great aunt Francisca Ofelia Palacio were attacked with a knife allegedly by Lourdes’ ex-partner. Both died from their injuries.
Lourdes had moved back to Rio Nio (the town of her birth) to escape her abusive ex-partner. He allegedly travelled there in order to attack her.
The young trans [woman] was born in Rio Nio, grew up with her great aunt Francisca, who lived on the animals that she raised on her small farm. Lourdes lived in the difficult context that small towns have of gender diversity, but that did not take away the happiness with which she lived: “she always looked for acceptance, she had many projects, she had finished her secondary school in Las Salinas (Burruyacú ) and worked in a kiosk in the village “said a family member of the victim who prefers to remain anonymous due to the fear caused by the situation.
“Lourdes was a very dedicated girl, she took care of her grandparents until they died. She did not mess with anyone, even though she sometimes had to endure ridicule because his condition is not understood in towns like this, “he continued.
http://agenciapresentes.org/2018/01/23/tucuman-una-joven-trans-tia-fueron-asesinadas-ex-pareja/
The investigation is being carried out under the charge of aggravated double homicide. “We found that there was a previous complaint that had been formalized against the accused in which there was already a restriction of approach, so we are talking about a person who would have killed someone with whom he would have a previous relationship, another aggravating it’s what has to do with violence against women and femicide.”
https://lanotatucuman.com/semana-tragica-la-comunidad-trans-una-muerta-una-herida-balas/
Clóvis Figueiredo
Age 52
Recife (Brazil)
15 Jan 2018
Stabbed
Clóvis was a hairdresser. She was stabbed to death and robbed in her home.
Her Facebook profile is https://www.facebook.com/clovis.clo.5.
https://aliancaagora.blogspot.com.br/2018/01/homem-e-encontrado-morto-dentro-de-sua.html
Jessica González
16 Jan 2018
Córdoba, Veracruz (Mexico)
Cause of death not reported
Jessica was a sex worker in Córdoba, Veracruz (Mexico). She was found dead on Tuesday 16th January 2018 two weeks after going missing.
http://sucesosdeveracruz.com.mx/policiaca/identifican-cadaver-mujer-transexual-hallado-la-concha/
Carol Alves
17 Jan 2018
Tangará da Serra, Mato Grosso (Brazil)
Shot
Carol was a sex worker. She was on the street in the early hours of the morning when she was shot in the head by a man who fled on a bike.
https://homofobiamata.wordpress.com/2018/01/17/carol-prof-sexo-tiros-mt-tangara-da-serra/
Name Unknown
18 Jan 2018
Chalchuapa (El Salvador)
Stabbed
The victim was stabbed and her body thrown from a moving vehicle. Her identity is unknown.
http://www.lapagina.com.sv/nacionales/135871/2018/01/18/Asesinan-a-un-travesti-en-Chalchuapa
http://www.elsalvador.com/noticias/nacional/440550/travesti-asesinado-en-chalchuapa/
Name Unknown
18 Jan 2018
Coetzala, Veracruz (Mexico)
Cause of death not reported
The decomposing body of an unidentified trans woman was found on 18 Jan 2018 at the bottom of a ravine on the edge of the Coetazala-Naranjal road.
http://sucesosdeveracruz.com.mx/policiaca/hallan-otra-mujer-transexual-ejecutada-coetzala/
Kelly
20 Jan 2018
Belém, Pará (Brazil)
Shot
Kelly was shot. No other information is known.
Informação do Grupo Afiliadas ANTA — Renata Taylor
Name Unknown
20 Jan 2018
Concordia do Pará, Pará (Brazil)
Beaten
The victim was found dead in an abandoned residence in the city of Concordia do Pará. She was naked and her face had been beaten.
https://homofobiamata.wordpress.com/2018/01/20/nao-identificada-a-esclarecer-pa-concordia-do-para/
https://www.facebook.com/jornalOnlineCastanhal/posts/1978111969115075
Emilly Fogaça
Age 21
21 Jan 2018
Florianopolis (Brazil)
Drowned
Emily went missing on 21st January after going to the beach with colleagues. She was last seen at a bar in the company of a man.
Her body was found in an advanced state of decomposition on 1st February. Initial indications were that she had drowned. It is not known whether her death was accidental or the result of foul play.
Her Facebook profile is https://www.facebook.com/emilly.borges.9615566.
https://ndonline.com.br/florianopolis/noticias/corpo-de-mulher-e-encontrado-no-mar-em-florianopolis
Julia de Arruda
Age 37
21 Jan 2018
Várzea Grande(Brazil)
Stabbed
Julia was stabbed to death and beheaded in her home on 21st January.
https://homofobiamata.wordpress.com/2018/01/21/julia-cozinheira-37-anos-facadas-dhpp-mt-cuiaba/
https://www.vgnoticias.com.br/policia/travesti-e-degolada-no-bairro-ouro-branco-em-vg/44644
http://www.folhamax.com.br/policia/travesti-e-degolada-dentro-de-casa-em-vg/151872
Lohane
23 Jan 2018
Governador Newton Bello (Brazil)
Stabbed
Lohane was stabbed in the neck with a machete by her partner after an argument.
https://homofobiamata.wordpress.com/2018/01/23/lohane-degolada-ma-governador-newton-belo/
https://aqui-ma.com.br/2018/01/24/travesti-e-morta-por-causa-ciumes/
http://www.blogdowillianvieira.com.br/2018/01/travesti-e-assassinado-com-golpe-de.html
Chelsy/Cristal Grisales Molina
Age 32
24 Jan 2018
La Virginia (Columbia)
Shot
Chelsy was shot in her living room by a gunman who invaded her house.
Cristal was originally from the municipality of Marseille, and a graduate of the Agricultural Institute. She had transitioned at 18 and although she lived alone had visited her family regularly.
http://www.eldiario.com.co/seccion/JUDICIAL/el-sicario-entr-a-la-sala-y-mat-un-transg-nero1801.html
http://caracol.com.co/emisora/2018/01/24/pereira/1516792866_999857.html
Name Unknown
26 Jan 2018
Cancún (Mexico)
Shot
The victim was shot while inside a hairdressers by an unidentified assailant outside the building. Her identity is unknown.
https://depeso.com/quintana-roo/lo-nuevo-del-caso-desconocen-la-razon-muerte/
Paola Carranco
26 Jan 2018
Mexico City (Mexico)
Shot
Paola had just got into a taxi when another car pulled alongside and a gunmen within it shot her fire times. The taxi driver was also shot, but survived.
Her Facebook profile is https://www.facebook.com/paola.carranco.315.
https://ulisex.com/asesinan-balazos-mujer-trans-la-calle-bordo-taxi-cdmx/
http://desastre.mx/internacional/asesinan-a-mujer-transexual-en-taxi-de-la-ciudad-de-mexico/
http://www.informeraxen.es/ejecutan-a-transexual-en-la-gustavo-a-madero/
http://gcm-mx.com/noticias/asesinan-mujer-transexual-taxi-la-ciudad-mexico/
https://ulisex.com/paola-carranco-2018-una-victima-trans-la-violencia-la-impunidad/
https://www.facebook.com/kenya.cuevas.1/posts/1188175724649398
Rios Dayane Macklarenn
Age 31
26 Jan 2018
São Bernardo do Campo, São Paulo (Brazil)
Stabbed
Rios’s body was found with stab wounds and in an advanced state of decomposition near the Ferrazópolis terminal in São Bernardo do Campo on 26th January. She had been missing since 7th January.
Her Facebook profile is https://www.facebook.com/dayane.macklarenn.
A friend lamented her death:
“A very sad loss for me and for everyone who knew her. She was a good person without malice, a childhood friend that I will keep in my memories forever…I really feel God comforts for all her family…she will always be remembered.”
Blanca
27 Jan 2018
Los Guaricanos, La Vega (Dominican Republic)
Stabbed
Blanca was stabbed to death while working on the street. Her alleged killer was arrested (see http://pasoapaso.com.do/?p=235296) and is believed to have been a dissatisfied customer.
http://www.elinformadordominicano.com/2018/01/travesti-es-muerto-punalada-en-la-vega.html
http://costaverdedr.com/matan-punaladas-travesti-la-vega/
https://elrancherodigital.blogspot.co.uk/2018/01/matan-punaladas-un-travesti-en-la-vega.html
http://www.cdn.com.do/2018/01/27/asesinan-travesti-la-vega-se-desempenaba-trabajador-sexual/
Raquel Cosinele
Age 22
27 Jan 2018
Recife, Pernambuco (Brazil)
Stoned
Raquel’s body was found half-naked and bruised in a ditch in the Campo da Minerva, in Dois Unidos, North Zone of Recife. Stones and bloodstains were scattered across the floor.
https://homofobiamata.wordpress.com/2018/01/27/nao-identificada-22-anos-apedrejada-pe-recife/
Silvana Pineda
Age 34
27 Jan 2018
La Dorada, Caldas (Colombia)
Shot
Silvana was was walking along Marlboro Avenue in the La Concordia neighborhood of La Dorada when she was shot from behind by two assassins on a motorbike. One bullet hit her in the head and three in her back. She died at the scene.
http://www.lapatria.com/sucesos/mataron-miembro-de-comunidad-lgtbi-345464
http://hsbnoticias.com/noticias/judicial/adios-silvana-en-la-dorada-271399
Vicky Julieth Alvarado
Age 22
28 Jan 2018
El Tocuyo (Venezuela)
Beaten and stabbed
Vicky was beaten and stabbed with a broken bottle in the early hours of Sunday 28th January in El Tocuyo, Venezuela.
She was 22, and had transitioned at 17.
http://www.laprensalara.com.ve/?p=407516
According to witnesses, she met some kids who were asking for her phone number and wanted to see her dance.
A person saw how Vicky was doing a “sex job” with another man who suddenly got upset and they started struggling. The witness described how he took a bottle, broke it and began to cut Vicky.
He wounded her wrists, neck, face and chest. Everyone present ran, leaving Vicky alone, bleeding. It was about 4:00 in the morning. Apparently she was able to take some steps, until she fell into one of the planters in the little square, where she was left without life, on her back.
Samira de Alcantara
Age 25
29 Jan 2018
Nossa Senhora do Socorro, Aracaju, Sergipe (Brazil)
Tortured and stabbed
Samira’s body was found attached to the wires of a fence on a side road near a motel located in the Conjunto dos Faróis in Nossa Senhora do Socorro with signs of torture and stab wounds.
CCTV recorded that she had been pursued by her killers and bumped into the fence where her body was found entangled. She was killed with machete blows to her head and one of her legs.
https://homofobiamata.wordpress.com/2018/01/29/samira-25-anos-facadas-se-aracaju/
http://www.f5news.com.br/noticia/44443/travesti-e-encontrada-morta-em-nossa-senhora-do-socorro.html
http://www.infonet.com.br/noticias/cidade/ler.asp?id=209891
http://fanf1.com.br/corpo-de-travesti-assassinada-brutalmente-e-velado-em-socorro/
Rest in peace. We will not forget.
TDoR 2018: Say their names. Learn their stories. Remember them
With thanks to the many volunteers reporting acts of violence against trans people worldwide, and in particular to Transgender Europe and the members of the Trans Violence News Facebook group.
